Michael S. Waddington

Hard Hitting Aggressive Representation. We Defend Serious Criminal Cases Worldwide. this is correct he Flew all the way from the states to Vilseck, Germany to represent me. no matter the distance his team and him will answer all the questions you need. great outcome! Waddington was patient, kept his... word and was very understanding! he will defend you and fight for you he will get every detail known and he will give you the best results I was being charges for adultery , assault and more crazy the military tried but if you have Mr Waddington by you there's no one more clear and professional in the court room. He answered all my questions, even when I asked them several times! he will make you feel like a brother or a part of the family Trust him once you hire him put all the trust in him and what ever he tells you listen to him and everything will be fine. freedom is priceless don't think twice his the best criminal defense lawyer no questions ask. as a Result I was found NOT GUILTY OF ALL CHARGES I can't thank him enough I'm free God worked trough this men to give me a second chance at life god bless who ever is reading this trust me you should hire him as soon as possible if you need a lawyer.

What’s your life’s work worth? I believe many of Michael and Alexandra’s clients are junior in time/grade in the military. That being the case, many of the posted reviews are from the perspective of younger Service Members or their parents. As a more ‘seasoned’ Service Member, I have spent over tw...o decades in uniform. That’s when I found my family and my life’s work under attack by false accusations. Highly competent legal representation by Gonzalez & Waddington, LLC was the only way we succeeded in saving both. Bottom line, “NOT GUILTY on all counts” was the truth and it is what the judge read from a panel of my peers at the conclusion of my trial. The alternative: unthinkable – incarcerated for over 30 years, sex offender registration for life, a dishonorable discharge, and a family destroyed…by lies and a system heavily weighted in favor of the alleged victim. Candidly, I did have Great Expectations of Michael and Alexandra. My expectations were exceeded! Is it expensive? – only if you mistakenly frame the cost as anything other than an investment…in you. Give yourself permission – YOU are worth it! The great people of Gonzalez & Waddington – Michael, Alexandra, and Sandra – were phenomenal through the entire process. Over a 14-month ordeal from first being notified by CID of an impending investigation until the end of a 3-day trial. All of this turmoil stemming from sexual assault allegations dating back years. The circumstances of the allegation and the actions of the alleged victim across the years until the trial are incredible and near beyond belief. I give you that insight to say that Michael, Alexandra, and our assigned Trial Defense Service (TDS) attorney had a very complex case to manage. Professional, smart, and caring accurately describe how they aided my family and me in preparing and fighting for our present lives and future dreams. We did our part to gather information/facts, submit our character witness list, and follow careful protocols of avoiding social media and not making statements or discussing our case with ANYONE outside of our legal team. Our level of input was matched or exceeded at every turn. Military law is complex; don’t fight it alone. You need the best legal representation to successfully work yourself out of the maze. You need Michael and Alexandra on your Team. Make the investment! I am forever indebted to them and happily recommend their services to anyone facing serious UCMJ charges. What’s your life’s work worth? Don’t squander another minute!

Michael Waddington did a fantastic job defending my son, a Sr. Airman in a sexual assault case. My son was found not guilty because Michael was able to cross examine the prosecution's witnesses and expose their inconsistencies which led the jury to conclude there was obvious reasonable doubt, The G...overnment (prosecution) was determined to sentence my son. By doing so , he would have been labeled as a sex offender for the rest of his life with possibly a 20+ year prison sentence. When the prosecution did it's opening statements, I felt my heart sink to the floor, but when Michael countered with his, I knew the prosecution was in for a war which Michael ultimately won. My son was released from the Air Force and is now free to start his life over. Michael made that happen. If I had chosen to continue with the military lawyer appointed, I have no doubt that my son would have been convicted a sex offender and serving many years of jail time, I also have to acknowledge Alexandra Gonzalez - Waddington, Michael's wife and law partner. She is incredible and a perfect compliment to Michael. Her "hand holding" was so compassionate. I had so many questions leading up to my son's trial. Now I know why Michael can't always be available while he is concentrating on a trial. She put myself and family at ease by answering all our concerns. Her quick replies to my text messages and voicemails were nothing short of remarkable. Michael and Alexandra are truly an outstanding law team and one worthy of your case.

In early 2015 after 8 years of marriage, I found myself in the middle of a contentious divorce and custody battle, facing three counts of sexual assault and one count of physical assault. I thought cooperating with CGIS as well as turning over my phone (since I had nothing to hide) would absolve me ...of these accusations. It did NOT. Everything I said, CGIS twisted or used out of context to incriminate me. They even quoted biblical versus and insinuated that if my wife was having an affair it was my fault in some way. After my Article 32 hearing I asked my sister if she thought I should utilize Mr. Waddington. It was clear at that point the Coast Guard was determined to prosecute me and was in fact not on my side. However, I was already under a crushing amount of legal fees and the gamble of spending so much money on a person I had never seen work or even met in person was a bit daunting. My sister reminded me how displeased the prosecution was to hear I had retained him. She asked the all-important question: "How much is your freedom worth?" From that point on, there was no question, I was moving forward as planned. This decision was further validated when someone overheard the prosecutor speaking with the local legal assistance openly about my case and stated how surprised they were that I hired a very powerful and well known attorney who liked to, “go all the way”. I spent a lot of time gathering as much evidence as I could to prove my innocence as well as give my attorneys enough material to build a case. Due to shield laws that protect alleged victims, it can make entering relevant information nearly impossible. On more than one occasion I wasn't even sure if we could utilize the fact she was having an affair as evidence. This was a corner stone of our defense, but Mr. Waddington and as well as my JAG made sure we were able too. After fourteen months of uncertainty and with 90.5 years of prison time hanging over my head as well as sex offender status, my court martial began. Mr. Waddington and my JAG worked together seamlessly as if they had been working together for years. They planned for every contingency and were able to completely discredit my wife. Mr. Waddington got her to admit at one point that she had planned out some or all of these lies and that she was even abusive towards me. Every lie she told allowed us to utilize text messages, notes, threats and voicemails I had amassed over the last year. When she denied something we had in writing, he pointed at my JAG who had his iPad connected to the TV in the room. Mr. Waddington then read her own text message to the contrary of what she was saying. At one point the tally of lies we could prove she was telling was roughly 37. Together they destroyed her credibility, character, and through a well laid out timeline of events, were able to raise some serious questions about her motives behind these allegations. The prosecution could barely obtain an objection to our lines of questioning. Mr. Waddington and my JAG had planned one, if not three other arguments as to why this questioning or evidence was admissible. On the last day, a large audience had gathered to hear closing statements and the verdict. After only 40 minutes of deliberation, the jury had come to a decision… Innocent of all charges! After fourteen months of hell I had my life and future back. I couldn’t have asked for a better team to help protect me. If you are considering Mr. Waddington as a perspective defense attorney and wondering if all of his accolades are self-promotion and promises he can’t follow through on, I assure you they are NOT. He and his wife are an amazing team. They will fight for you, and genuinely care about their clients. I will never be able to thank them enough. Thank you for protecting my freedom and getting my life back!

My ordeal started in August 2014 with a false allegation of sexual assault. I called numerous law firms and was told many times that it was best for me to take a plea deal, this was even before they heard my side of the story. Once I contacted Mr. Waddington, he immediately eased my fears and told me... to explain everything to him. Once I did this he comforted me and said that he would do everything in his power for a great outcome. Once I retained him, CID and my chain of command stopped bothering me. 12 months after the initial investigation the CID investigation came back "unfounded" and proved that my accuser was a liar. At this point I thought that everything was over but knowing the Army it was far from over. In September 2015 they notified me that I would be facing an elimination board due to the evidence that refuted that I was a rapist. I was not worried and retained Michael once again. The Army was trying to kick me out with no benefits and an other than honorable discharge. At the conclusion of the board I got to keep my benefits and also a nice $3,403 tax free check ($40,826 annually) for the rest of my life. I could not be happier. Michael is an EXCELLENT attorney and he is well respected in the legal community. Be weary of hiring known lawyers, just because they are known does not mean that they are respected. If you are facing any sort of legal issues please do not hesitate to contact him.